Evans was a late-bloomer who started his high school basketball career as a 6-2 JV player, only to find himself ranked among the top 20 national prospects two years later as a junior. He spent two years at Duke, growing from a role-playing shooter as a freshman to a key offensive pillar as a sophomore. Now, he is viewed as one of the best shooters in this draft class.
About
Former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American.
Started three of 36 games as a freshman and averaged 6.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 13.7 minutes.
Third-team All-ACC as a sophomore after averaging 15 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 28.2 minutes.
Strengths
Movement shooter who was utilized in true NBA concepts at Duke and showed an ability to make various types of tough shots. 36% from behind the arc was a bit deceiving given his extreme volume (10.5 attempted 3-pointers per 40 minutes, 97th percentile) and that 60% of his attempts were contested.
Moves well without the ball, not just cutting and coming off screens, but also as a screener, with a knack for ghosting for separation.
Grew almost another inch since high school and has perimeter size and length to potentially be able to play multiple positions. Is also naturally smooth and fairly bouncy.
Weaknesses
Lacks physical strength with his build and only added six pounds of muscle in two years at Duke (weighed in at 180 at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit).
Has defensive limitations, not just because of his lack of strength, but with screen navigation and a very low steal rate (although his 3% block rate is in the 96th percentile among wings).
While he diversified his attack this year at Duke, shooting 57% on twos (67% in the postseason) and 64% at the rim, almost 2/3 of his shots still come from behind the arc. The need for further diversification is further illustrated because of how streaky he can be from deep. In other words, when he’s not making shots, it may be hard to have him on the floor at the next level unless he can develop other ancillary skills.
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